Columbia College sophomore Paxton Welch was named the American Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Week for her efforts last week.
Welch (Helias High School) went 4-0 for the week of April 27-May 2, pitching 23 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and an ERA of 1.00. She pitched four shutouts in the AMC Tournament, picking up wins against Lyon, Missouri Baptist, Lindenwood-Belleville and Park.
Welch and the Cougars now advance to the Central Methodist Bracket of the NAIA National Tournament, where they will be the No. 4 seed. Joining Columbia (29-16) in the tournament are No. 1 seed Central Methodist (41-8), No. 2 Cardinal Stritch (43-10) and No. 3 Bellevue (Neb.) (39-12-1).
The opening-round event starts Monday and wraps up Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series set for May 22-28 at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.